WELCOME TO WORLD GEOGRAPHY and AP Human Geography. (MR. Blankenship's VERSION 2013)
I am beginning my 31st year as a teacher. I grew up in the hills of East Kentucky. I received my BA from David Lipscomb College in 1976 and my Masters in ED. in 1986 from Austin Peay State university. I am married to Brenda and we have two sons, Aaron (Kristin) and Ryan (Stephanie). We have two beautiful grandaughters, Alexis (2) and Aubrey (9). I enjoy fishing and traveling. I also serve as the pulpit minister for the Charlotte Heights church of Christ.
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The goal of Geography is to emphasize the five major themes of geography. These themes include location, place, human/environmental interaction, movement and region. Map skills, climate and weather, environmental issues, history and governments, languages, regions and other cultural characteristics will be examined in this course. I will try to use Power Point and Google Earth plus many other means to convey my message. What we really want to do is answer the question: Why, What is Where? This is a fun and wonderful class and you can make it a great experience if you buy into what what attempt to do. We live in an exciting and changing world and due to technology and globalization the world becomes smaller each day so it is imperative that you become familiar with the rest of the world. We will learn place geography, but we will also learn about music, housing, food, occupations, and entertainment of other people in the world. This is an election year and this also will make for an exciting year in the class as we also follow current events. AP has a much stronger emphasis on human geography than does regular World Geography.
Over the past several years my family and I have been in 48 states and nearly every major National Park. I attempt to take my travel experiences and pass them on to my students. A personal goal of mine is to create a strong desire in you to travel. The best way to learn about the world and geography is to experience it first hand. I just completed a trip to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.
I am thrilled to have you in class for this school year. I am here to serve and assist you in attempting to reach the mission of our school. I have planning first and 5th. periods. My phone in my office is 966-6437. Email is [email protected] If you have any questions, problems or concerns I would love for you to contact me directly.
Concerning grading: I use the point system for grading and you can keep up on Ren-Web. I will post homework and grades fairly often. We will have a test over each chapter usually counting 100 points. Periodically there will be map test and quizzes over the reading. For each chapter of study there will be study guides. These should be completed in a timely manner for homework credit. From time to time there are reports and projects. These will be assigned with ample time to complete. There will be class time given to complete most homework assignments. I try to avoid excessive homework, but especially on Wednesday nights and weekends. My philosophy is to encourage students to attend worship on Wednesdays and to enjoy their weekends. There is usually one project every nine weeks. It will be a power point, report, or a windshield geographer type project.
Two out of the past four summers I spent a full week of nearly 40 hours in class to prepare to teach AP-Human Geography. This year we have 52 in the class of three sections, also we have several underclassman taking AP. The class has caused me to study and work harder than I have in a long time which is a good thing. It has made me a better World Geography teacher along the way. I would encourage you to discuss the possibility of taking AP Human Geography if you like Social Studies and do well in regular Geography this year. The past two years my students have passed at a 70% rate which compares to the national rate of 50%. Considering the volume of students taking AP Human Geography that is an impressive number and says a great deal about the quality of Lipscomb students. AP Human Geography is the largest AP class by far at Lipscomb and is the fastest growing AP class in the U.S. Students are finding the material extremely useful in all areas of their future studies.
Class rules and expectations: You are expected to be on time and in your seat when the tardy bell rings. You should come to class prepared each day with your text book, paper and pencil. I also would like for you to have some colored pencils and or colored markers. These are very helpful for our map and poster work. You are expected to follow all rules as given in the student handbook. This includes such things as electronic devices and attendance policies. If you are absent lets get your work made up in a timely fashion. You should respect me, others, and yourself. If you have a question there is a proper way to ask it. If you have problems with me or the class you should make arrangements to see me before or after class or during my planning. We are here to learn and learning should be engaging but this is not the time and place for horse play. You should remain seated unless I give you permission to move about or stand during lectures or other learning cycles. Homework and reports should be turned in on time. Late work will receive a zero or partial credit. I have been teaching for 30 years and have heard most of the excuses…so just be where you should be when you should.
Over the past several years my family and I have been in 48 states and nearly every major National Park. I attempt to take my travel experiences and pass them on to my students. A personal goal of mine is to create a strong desire in you to travel. The best way to learn about the world and geography is to experience it first hand. I just completed a trip to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.
I am thrilled to have you in class for this school year. I am here to serve and assist you in attempting to reach the mission of our school. I have planning first and 5th. periods. My phone in my office is 966-6437. Email is [email protected] If you have any questions, problems or concerns I would love for you to contact me directly.
Concerning grading: I use the point system for grading and you can keep up on Ren-Web. I will post homework and grades fairly often. We will have a test over each chapter usually counting 100 points. Periodically there will be map test and quizzes over the reading. For each chapter of study there will be study guides. These should be completed in a timely manner for homework credit. From time to time there are reports and projects. These will be assigned with ample time to complete. There will be class time given to complete most homework assignments. I try to avoid excessive homework, but especially on Wednesday nights and weekends. My philosophy is to encourage students to attend worship on Wednesdays and to enjoy their weekends. There is usually one project every nine weeks. It will be a power point, report, or a windshield geographer type project.
Two out of the past four summers I spent a full week of nearly 40 hours in class to prepare to teach AP-Human Geography. This year we have 52 in the class of three sections, also we have several underclassman taking AP. The class has caused me to study and work harder than I have in a long time which is a good thing. It has made me a better World Geography teacher along the way. I would encourage you to discuss the possibility of taking AP Human Geography if you like Social Studies and do well in regular Geography this year. The past two years my students have passed at a 70% rate which compares to the national rate of 50%. Considering the volume of students taking AP Human Geography that is an impressive number and says a great deal about the quality of Lipscomb students. AP Human Geography is the largest AP class by far at Lipscomb and is the fastest growing AP class in the U.S. Students are finding the material extremely useful in all areas of their future studies.
Class rules and expectations: You are expected to be on time and in your seat when the tardy bell rings. You should come to class prepared each day with your text book, paper and pencil. I also would like for you to have some colored pencils and or colored markers. These are very helpful for our map and poster work. You are expected to follow all rules as given in the student handbook. This includes such things as electronic devices and attendance policies. If you are absent lets get your work made up in a timely fashion. You should respect me, others, and yourself. If you have a question there is a proper way to ask it. If you have problems with me or the class you should make arrangements to see me before or after class or during my planning. We are here to learn and learning should be engaging but this is not the time and place for horse play. You should remain seated unless I give you permission to move about or stand during lectures or other learning cycles. Homework and reports should be turned in on time. Late work will receive a zero or partial credit. I have been teaching for 30 years and have heard most of the excuses…so just be where you should be when you should.